Fate Rise of Legends
by NightHawk The Warrior
Summary: The first VRMMORPG, Throne of Heroes Online, has been released worldwide and already has more than 10 million players! The players are already battling legendary monsters and deities as they try to be the first to claim the Holy Grail. But the danger of mythological earth becomes deadly real when the players are trapped in a death game, as great heroes and terrible villains arise.
1. Chapter 1

**Guess who's back! Back again! NightHawk's back! Tell your friends! I'm also taking OC's in the future, but for now let me establish the setting of my story. I'll let you know when the OC's will be taken and the information I need. **

Fate/Rise of Legends

Today was the day! It was finally coming out! The game was finally going to be officially released! The biggest thing in the gaming community was finally coming to the United states, no, the world! The nerve gear, the most advanced virtual reality headset, was being released worldwide!

Along with it came the first "true" virtual reality game. Throne of Heroes Online. Some say it will be the greatest RPG ever. A game based off mythology and legends from around the world, with many historians and researchers assisting in its development. The class system allowed for tons of customization and yet still gave all the classes notable differences and affected their playstyle. Stories of beta testers using various weapons, armor, items and powers from countless legends filled the internet, exciting players who wanted to use items like the fabled King Arthur's Excalibur or Poseidon's trident.

Then there were the legends that these worldwide beta testers fought against. This made the players want to fight against these legends themselves. The Linnaean Hydra, Vlad the Impaler and many more. The fame and location system allowed you to forge your own legend across the virtual world. You could be a great hero or a terrible villain.

But either way the true prize was the holy grail. The cup capable of granting any player incredible exp and giving them a secret prize that no one knows about, presumably a wish or something close to it. But no-one so far has come even close to defeating its guardian. The rumors about the guardian vary from person to person. But either way, every player tries as hard as possible to become the first to claim it.

Chapter 1: Birth of the Legends.

Jacob laid back on his bed with his Nerve gear on. Everything was set. The Gear was plugged in and all the lights were flashing green. The spare battery was fully charged in case anything like a power outage happened while he was diving. With everything set he closed his eyes and said the words that began his new adventure to become a legend. "Link start!"

His vision suddenly turned white and streams of color flashed past his eyes. He felt himself jump as the scenery suddenly changed. "_I hope I didn't break anything IRL. Mom's gonna be pissed!" _The nervegear began listing off system checks and a "Welcome to Throne of Heroes Online!" appeared in front of him. His excitement began to rise, and he couldn't keep the massive grin off his face or the twinkle out of his eyes. "_Yes! I was waiting almost a whole year for this game! I finally get to play it!"_

He quickly customized his character; a handsome young man with dark skin and swept back, pointed hair and red eyes; and was then dropped off in front of seven figures. They looked like stone figures in different poses. "This is where I choose my class huh?" he said to himself. Jacob had done his research on the classes before buying the game and wanted to choose the class that best suited his fighting style.

The first on the far left was a figure in heavy armor and held a whip in its hands. The pedestal it was on said "Rider." Jacob thought for a moment. "This class seems to be for those who like to crush enemies with powerful beasts," he said aloud to himself. "I'd be devastating on open ground. Maybe I can even have a constant companion. Out in the open with a strong mount I'd be almost unstoppable. But honestly this class is too flashy in my opinion. It's probably an arrow and spell magnet. And if I don't have the right mount for the terrain things could get nasty. Still, good magic resistance."

He moved on to the next statue. This one was a man in robes on a hood with its arms crossed over its chest. There was a curved knife in each hand. This class was "Assassin." Jacob liked the sound of this, but something bugged him. "I do like the idea of being stealthy, but if I get noticed then I'm likely done for. But it's definitely on my radar. Hopefully there's a way to avoid getting cut down almost immediately. Any of the other classes could beat me pretty badly in a head to head fight. Besides, some people consider it the weakest class."

The next statue was a figure holding a longbow toward the sky. This figure was dressed in light armor. "Archer. At least I'll be able to use any form of projectiles as my main weapon. But fighting effectively only at range? I was always at my best at close range. That's where my battle instincts tend to kick in. At least they have decent magic resistance. Though I will admit that snipers are my worst nightmare. If I met these guys on the battlefield..." he shivered and felt his skin crawl. Virtual reality is much more realistic than a screen in his hands or on his dresser.

He moved on to the next statue. This one looked like a knight holding a longsword out in front of itself. The word on the statue gave away its name. "So, this is the famous saber class huh? I guess I can see why they call it the strongest class. Perhaps..." He reached out and suddenly stopped himself from touching the name on the statue. "Too many people pick this class. It's easy to master and tanky as hell, especially with the magic resistance class skill, but it can still dish out all the damage it can take and more. Add that to decent mana and you've got a well balanced and powerful class. Still, it's too predictable and straight forward. These guys also suck at range, so archers are going to be a huge pain. Being restricted to swords means that unless you've somehow built up enough mana to spam your noble phantasm you're main choice is to fight in melee." he moved on to check out the other classes.

The next was a man in a large hat and light armor pointing a spear forward towards the sky. It was obvious what this class was, but he still read the name anyway. "Lancer class, eh? These guys are known for being the saber's rival knight class. The knight of the spear, lower defense and strength than the Saber, but higher agility. The fastest class on foot. The use of polearms also comes in handy for their hit and run attacks. Not bad magic resistance either. But still, they mainly focus on melee and have pretty poor mana." He moved to the next statue.

This one was not a human, but instead a minotaur with massive curled horns and a mouth full of pointed teeth. It had an angry expression on its face and its hands were reaching out as if to grab something... or someone. "The berserker class. The mad warrior. I've heard that this class is a risky one. They've had to nerf the side effects of mad enhancement because it almost made people go insane. But the striking power of this is the greatest of all the classes. If only it had more mana and agility..." He moved on to the last class.

This one showed a man in a pointy wizard's hat. The person had a book in their right hand and a staff with a jewel in their left, pointed forward towards the sky. "The caster class. Sometimes called the weakest class due to its low physical stats and so many other classes having magic resistance. But I've heard stories of casters being underestimated by their enemies, only for those enemies to get blown sky high by some of the strongest magic they've seen. The only class able to use true magic without the use of skills." Jacob stepped back to look over the classes again.

He carefully pondered what class to choose. "_The obvious pick would be saber, especially with the greatest overall survivability, but that class is so basic and predictable. Lancer is also quite basic. It's like a slightly squishier but faster saber with less strength but more range. Berserker has the greatest physical strength but the mad enhancement could easily backfire. It's too high risk high reward for my liking. Rider has powerful mounts but I have to work to find and collect powerful mounts. Being able to summon them at anytime can be game changing but I need the right mounts for the right situation. Caster has the greatest magic potential but is weak up close most of the time. Summoning magic could change that but preparation and cast time can be a pain in the ass. Archer is also powerful at range, so I could take advantage of stealth and range, but I'd get slaughtered up close. Assassin is weak in direct combat..." _A grin spread across Jacob's face, "_But the deadliest enemy is the one you don't know is coming." _He walked back over to the man with the twin daggers. He tapped the word "Assassin" and the words "Do you choose to play as this class?" appeared in front of him. Jacob paused for a second before tapping "Yes". His senses were overtaken by a blinding light.

When Jacob opened his eyes he was standing in front of a globe. The words "Choose your starting location," hovered above it. Jacob put a hand to his chin and thought to himself for a moment. "Where do I want to go first? If I remember correctly the different eras overlap each other."

He looked at the second largest land mass on the map. "I've always wanted to explore Africa. The wildlife there is so cool! But there are so many hostile tribes there and so few major civilizations there. Their technology is underdeveloped too. I won't have many safe places there."

He looked over at the North and south American continents. "That place has a lot of tribes there as well. I can expect underdeveloped technology there as well. But hey, at least Africa and the Americas have less dangerous monsters most of the time."

He looked at the Eurasian land mass, the place where most players start their journeys. The homes of the most famous and powerful legends. "What should I choose first? A lot of these countries farther north have good technology and relatively safe cities, but that also comes with dangerous monsters and spirits. At least I'll get better gear than if I started off in the lesser developed countries." He sighed and gave a small pity smile. "I wonder how many players are planning on taking over a European or Asian nation and then sending their troops to Africa. Though I will admit that Egypt will be a pain to take over, with all their gods and monsters there. If the monsters don't kill you the wildlife will. They've also got good weapons as well. Maybe I should have started there."

Jacob looked back up at the other nations before resting his eyes on a small island nation in the pacific. The country of japan. "Good weapons and armor, protected cities, an island nation that is mostly isolated, a few powerful monsters like dragons that can actually be reasoned with, not a bad place to start. . . Okay, I'll admit it, I'm just being a weaboo." He sighed and laughed to himself. "Alright, let's start there." He tapped on Japan and the country was highlighted. "Do you wish to start here?" He said yes. The next thing he knew he was once again blinded by a white light. This time he was ready though, so he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them after a few seconds.

The first thing he noticed was the sound. There was talking all around him. He opened his eyes and then noticed the sights and smell around him. He was standing in the center of a large city, surrounded by other human beings. Other players were spawning around him every second. There were shops and markets all around him. Birds flew through above him and children were playing in the streets. Horses pulled wagons and carriages through the streets. He could smell the food around him in the nearby stores and markets. The palace in the distance told him that he was somewhere important. "_This is it! I'm officially one of the lucky 10-million players from around the world to get this game! I'm going to forge my own legend into this world! Now all I need is map and a weapon shop. _

Japan: A woman with blue hair wearing a black cloak and wielding a staff stood in front of a lone wolf. What the wolf didn't know was that the woman was charging up a spell using a deadly and unpredictable magic. A black aura coated the staff as an orb began to form around the gem at the tip.

Norway:

A large, powerful Norse man with Viking braids in his hair wandered alongside a freezing beach. He stood at 5'9 and had blonde hair. He soon came upon some bandits that were docking on the shore. The bandits turned to him and quickly drew their weapons. The young man in Viking robes and light armor grinned like a madman before raising an axe and shield. He screamed in with bloodlust and his eyes turned red as he charged the bandits.

Iceland:

A young Norse man with a light tan, black hair and heterochromatic eyes (the left ocean blue and the right ocean green) stood on the bow of a Viking ship. He blocked incoming arrows with his shield as they got nearer to a British ship. As soon as the ships crashed head on he leaped from his ship's bow with his shield out in front of him, a long spear poised and ready to strike.

Russia:

A man in a green cloak and hood stood in the trees of a snowy forest. His dirty blonde hair shadowed his eyes as he knocked an arrow and drew the string of his longbow. His unsuspecting targets were packing up their encampment and preparing to move. The one leading them had no idea that a few dozen yards away an arrow was aimed directly at his head.

Middle East:

A man dressed in Arab clothes rode on the back of a horse. He watched as a caravan passed carefully. He waited until he could fully see it before pulling out an axe and galloping off towards it, signaling to the other mounted warriors behind him to begin the attack.

Egypt:

A man in robes was walking through the desert. The staff he held in his hand had a blue jewel that occasionally crackled with electricity. He paused for a second as he gazed at the pyramid in front of him, before once again setting off toward his destination. As he entered it mummies with weapons began to rise from their tombs. The man raised his staff and lightning sparked from the gem in the tip.


	2. Chapter 2: Throne of Heroes Online

**Alright guys, you know the drill. I'll be explaining the game's mechanic in this chapter. After this one you can submit your OCs. I honestly need more antagonists because I've got enough protagonists in this story planned out (I don't have any saber OCs). You can use your own original items, skills, gear and noble phantasms. Disclaimer: I only own Akuro in this story. All the other characters belong to my friends. **

Chapter 2: Welcome to Throne of Heroes Online

Jacob, inside the body of his avatar named Akuro, casually strolled through the market, looking for a weaponsmith. He started off with only a small amount of yen, the currency in Japan. "_I can't spend this needlessly. The sooner I start doing missions the sooner I can start making money."_ He kept looking through the market, observing players and NPCs alike as he looked for a blacksmith or other weapon shop.

Luckily for him he quickly found a store with a picture of two katana's over the name. The name was in Japanese, but when he focused on it the system translated it. "Blade's weapon shop, eh? Well, this is close to the starting area. I suppose this is cheap enough for me to buy from." He entered opened the door and entered the shop.

"Welcome to Blade's weapon shop! How my I help you?" The shopkeeper had very short hair, almost bald. He was well muscled and looked like he could do some serious damage if need be. He had tanned skin and was wearing a sleeveless black shirt as well.

Akuro waved back to him. "Hello," he greeted politely. Even if this was a game, he was still nice out of habit. "I'd like to look for something cheap and simple."

The shopkeeper pointed to a rack near the entrance to the shop. "The cheapest weapons in the store." Jacob approached the shelf and looked observed at the weapons there. There were basic katanas, ninjatos, nodachis, kurasigamas, shurikens, kunai, wakizashis and more. All of them were of low quality and had no special effects on them.

Akuro looked over each weapon carefully. He couldn't help but smile at the rack of ancient dealers of death. Even as he tried to act professional his inner weeb was starting to show, along with an inner lust for battle emerging with the gleam in his eye. "_These weapons look so awesome! I've rarely ever held real swords before!" _He visibly took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. It didn't do too much. _"Okay Jacob, control yourself. You need to pay attention and pick one that suits your fighting style." _He looked at each of the blades carefully, gently caressing each one that caught his eye. "_These things feel so real. I can't believe actually be able to use them!" _

"_The katana would be the obvious pick, but it's too revealing and takes too long to draw compared to a ninjato. I'm trying to avoid direct combat. I could go with that, but I'll be at a disadvantage at range. The nodachi is out of the question for me. So is the kanabo. But the kurasigama... Easily consealable and able to attack from mid-range. I think this might be a good fit for me." _He picked up the kama from the rack and brought it to the front desk. "I'll take this one," he said to the shopkeeper. He paid for the weapon and headed out the shop.

Jacob then headed for a training dojo. He practiced with the weapon for a little bit, learning how to parry attacks at close range before going in for quick kills. He also tried utilizing the chain at range, which was much easier said than done. When he was done practicing he decided to test it out for real. "_I'll start off small and make some easy money, then work my way up the ladder to much stronger opponents. The sooner I level up the sooner I become powerful, and the easier it is to survive."_

He exited the city and headed some nearby farmlands. The enemies there would be fairly easy this close to the city, and he could also get some money early on. When he got there he found a few farmers picking up some small scraps of remaining crops. The field looked really torn up. Akuro searched for someone who was in charge, but when he couldn't identify anyone who seemed to be in a position of power he approached a random farmer. "Excuse me sir, I want to ask you something."

The farmer immediately looked up and bowed to him in greeting. "You like a fighter. Sir, can you help us?" He had a desperate look in his eyes.

Jacob thought about it for a second before replying, "I would be honored to assist you. What do you require of me?" He did his best to act formal.

"The boars have been devouring our crops," the farmer replied. "All of us have been suffering. We have no food and can not make money. Kill the boars and we will do what we can to pay you for your help."

A smile graced Jacob's lips. He bowed before the peasant farmer. "It would be my pleasure." A pop up appeared on his screen that said, "Hunt: kill the boars. 0/5. Do you accept? Yes No." Akuro clicked Yes, and with that he turned around and headed off into the woods. It didn't take long to track the boars considering the tracks and animal trails they left. He followed the boar tracks through the marshlands, and in less than an hour he heard a snort. He crouched down and leaped off the trail. His breath caught in his throat as he waited for is target to show itself.

The boar was all black and had a stocky build. It had two-inch cutters inside of its mouth. Akuro made sure to wait until the boar wandered past his position. It was heading towards the fields. He waited a few more seconds before making his move, slowly slipping out of the bushes and tiptoeing up behind it. He waited until he was almost a meter behind the boar and tensed up his muscles.

But the boar suddenly froze. It lifted its head and sniffed the air. A second later it spun around and squealed, fully revealing its tusks. Akuro's fight or flight instincts kicked in and he jumped away while slashing at the boar. The boar charged him and he sidestepped it, letting it run past. He could feel his heart rate jump as his emotions ran wild. This was his first real battle to the death, or at tleast the closest thing to it.

He tried to lunge at its back, but it spun around to face him and he missed. It then charged him again and he tried to block the attack, but the boar overwhelmed him and he was still knocked back a few feet. He watched his health bar shrink by about 10%. his heart leaped into his throat. He regained his footing and watched the boar paw the ground, readying for another attack. He slowly stalked around the boar, watching it pivot to keep facing him. The boar charged him again and he waiting until the last moment to dodge it and slashed at its side. The boars squealed and pivoted around to charge again, but Akuro was already at its side. He slashed at it, but then received a bit to his side. More health was lost. He grunted before jumping back.

Akuro knew he had to end this fight quickly. He waited again until the boar charged and sidestepped again, then lunged at it to land another blow on its side. Another squeal. Then he dashed past it as it spun around again, leaving a massive gash across it flank. He watched as the boar spun to face him, but he also spun around... and charged first. He leaped over the boar's head and landed behind it, going for another slash. The boar squealed again before running off into the woods. Akuro tried to follow it, but the brush was too thick and the boar too fast. He lost it in less than a minute.

Only then did he realize his errors. He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment and he looked at the area around him. He hoped no-one was watching. Then he placed his hand on his knee and snarled at himself. "_Damn, I was way too stupid and reckless! I should have known it would smell me if I got too close. Then I tried to fight it head on. That was a mistake at this level. I should have run away and hid before making another attack. I also tried to take its attack head on. I shouldn't have done that with this kind of weapon." _

Akuro shook his head and regained his poster. "_Shit, I forgot that presence concealment drops when you're about to attack! I can't hesitate next time. I'll have to be quicker." _He followed the direction the boar went and sheathed his kama.

When he came upon a marsh he lost the boar's tracks. "_It must have run through the water. Now I've lost it!" _He slumped against a nearby tree in frustration. "_I'm a terrible player. Even a decent assassin would have an easier time than me. I can't even kill a boar in combat." _He shook his head and stood back up, cursing himself for giving up already giving up. "_Damn inferiority complex! I'm not always going to get it right the first time! I need to pull myself back together." _He then headed off into the marsh.

As he travelled he kept his head low and stayed as silent as possible. It was a good thing too, because he heard the low growl right before the boar launched a surprise attack. This was the same boar from earlier. He could tell because is HP as was only a quarter of what it should be. Akuro was at a disadvantage, the marsh heavily limiting his mobility. He was forced to knock away the boar's head when it tried to ram him again. The boar sailed past and Akuro moved to attack it from behind, but the marsh slowed his movements down to the point where the boar turned around before he caught up to it. He leaped to the side right before the boar charged, avoiding another attack.

Akuro decided to utilize the kurasigama's chain this time. He grabbed the chain in both hands and threw it out, catching the boar with its blade. The satisfying squeal rejuvenated him. The boar charged again, but he sidestepped the attack and let it sail past him before launching another attack. The kama's blade sank into the boar's back. This time it squealed and toppled over. It didn't get up. A pop up appeared on Akuro's screen. "_So I got experience, huh? I can't believe that I had to go through all that effort with the boar and this is all I got. Then again, I'm supposed to be sneaky." _

"ROOOOAAAAARRR!" He didn't have time to think about that, not with the angry beast behind him. He turned around and a black bear with a crescent shaped mark on its chest reared up before charging him. Its nametag said "Ussuri black bear."

Akuro dodged to his left to avoid the bear. If he had trouble with a boar, then a bear would absolutely destroy him! He easily escaped the marsh and sprinted as fast as he could, leaping into the nearby bushes. The bear was directly on his heels, its heavy breaths quickly closing in on him. He jumped onto a nearby log and tried to leap into the trees. The bear ran past him before quickly turning around. Akuro thought he could run into the trees like he had seen some of the higher leveled beta testers do, but he instead slipped and fell on his back less than three meters up the log. Or at least that's what would have happened if it weren't for the person beneath him.

"Oomph!" Akuro felt the body beneath him struggle to get him off. He rolled off the person to see silver eyes staring back at him from the ground, framed by long blue hair.

Achillea was unprepared to say the least. When she spawned in she immediately tried to avoid the other players and strange NPCs. As an introvert and a caster specializing in death magic she tried to avoid most people. She walked into the forest and began looking for various herbs to use for her herbs.

"_I think I can find enough herbs to make healing items. I don't want to talk to these people. I have no idea who they are or where I am. I guess I'll just head off on my own." _She was nervous when other players hit on her and didn't want anything to do with them. Then again, who can really blame them when she had an average build with blue hair and silver eyes. She quickly brushed them off and fast walked away.

It was really becoming a nuisance. It would usually start with a male player trying to be your classic isekai protagonist and get a bunch of girls in their party and try their hand at online dating. It would start off with some guy saying something like, "Hey beautiful, how about you join my party?"

Achillea would avoid eye contact and reply with something like, "I'm not interested," and try to walk away.

The guys would be like, "Hey, I didn't mean to scare you. Here, I can help you get strong and protect you as well. I can make your journey entertaining."

Achillea would put her foot down at that moment and say, "I'm not interested," and leave before they had a chance to say anything.

Achillea wandered off into the nearby trees and began gathering herbs. She intended to gather enough herbs to craft her own healing potions. But she stopped when she heard the roar of a bear and froze. "_Oh no. Oh no. What was that? That doesn't sound good." _It didn't help when an Ussuri black bear crashed the brush chasing after a dark-skinned man with spiky black hair and red eyes. She froze up in fear, unable to move, even when he slipped off the log and onto her.

She struggled to shove him off, and when she did the man looked into her eyes. She grew uncomfortable and averted her eyes. Almost immediately afterwards the bear appeared and charged them. The man immediately stood up and began to hop circles around the bear. He slashed at it with a small chain scythe... a kurusigama... but it was having little effect.

All the while Achillea laid there, her instincts picking neither fight, but the worst response possible... freeze. She was not read for this mess. The bear landed a blow on him and his already slightly depleted health bar dropped drastically as he tumbled across the ground. It was at that moment she snapped out of her freeze response. She couldn't just lay there while someone was about to die right in front of her. The bear was about to close in for the finishing blow, but was suddenly taken by surprise when a stream of black energy slammed into its flank. It turned around and roared at Achillea, triggering her freeze response again.

The bear was slashed from the back by a kama and distracted. "Hit it again!" the man shouted. Achillea's hands shook as the system picked up on her tensed muscles and the movement of her hands. She thrust her hands forward and let loose a stream of dark energy that did more damage to the bear. It was enough to make the bear turn tale and flee.

The two players stood still, waiting for the bear to return, but it didn't. A minute or so later Akuro suddenly fell to the ground, learning the hard way that stamina was a thing in this game. Apparently the nerve gear sent false signals to the brain that mimicked and triggered exhaustion.

As he lay there the woman walked up to him and loomed over him, a worried and frightened expression on her face. "Are you... okay?"

Akuro nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll be fine. At least I'm alive." He slowly got to his knees and stayed there, kneeled in front of the woman that saved his life. "Thanks for saving me. I owe you one." He looked at her info above her head and saw her information. "_Caster huh? And her name's... Achillea?"_

Achillea looked at the ground shyly. "It's nothing," she replied. She turned to walk away.

Akuro stood up, his stamina recovered enough for him to walk. "Not the talkative type, huh?" The woman didn't answer. "Are you nervous or something?" Still no answer. "Will you at least let me pay you back for saving me?"

Achillea stopped in her tracks, causing Akuro to stop as well. She didn't look at him, but at least she wasn't leaving. "Is that a yes?" Akuro asked. Achillea nodded. "Will you at least tell me what you want?" Achillea didn't respond. "Will you at least talk to me?"

Achillea waited a moment before replaying, "Okay." Her voice was soft and nervous, letting Akuro know to choose his next words carefully.

Akuro thought for a moment. "Do you know this game well? All the classes and gear and skills? The location and fame system?"

Achillea thought for a moment before saying, "No, not really. I know about the classes, but not much else."

Akuro came up with an idea. "How about I explain the game to you in more detail? Will that be enough to pay my debt to you?" Achillea nodded. "Okay, so you already know how this game is an RPG, right?" Nod. "Now the game's got a gear system. You can equip various types of gear across your body. Something for your head, torso, hands, legs and feet. Each piece of equipment can grant you either increased magical or physical resistance. Or you can use equipment that gives you some sort of special physical or magical boost. If you get multiple types of equipment that have the same effects you can stack the effects to make them stronger. Rings and earrings are smaller so you can equip multiple of those." He noticed Achillea's confused stares. "Are you still with me?"

Achillea nodded, trying to keep up with the massive amount of knowledge she was receiving. "Yeah, I'm with you."

Akuro smiled but talked slower this time. "When it comes to skills though, that's a little bit different. They can be passive or active skills. Passives will activate on their own whenever one or more conditions are met. Active skills will activate whenever you want them to activate. They can be used at any time as long as you have the mana to use them. Casters like you can use true magic without the use of skills, so they usually go for passive skills that won't consume mana. Though they do use active skills when they want to use some random magic they don't specialize in." Akuro looked at Achillea.

"I'm good," she replied, giving Akuro her full attention.

"Items are a completely different subject. When it comes to items you have ten different slots to equip them in, kind of like quick access. The rest will have to go into your inventory. They can be anything from potions to bombs to scrolls to figurines to weapons. But the knight classes are restricted to certain weapons." Achellia nodded her head.

"Noble phantasms... they're a completely different matter. They can come in all forms. They can be items or weapons that you own which have incredible power, techniques you've developed that can be used with any weapon, regardless of what it is, or even personal powers or abilities that can easily be game changers. All of them can tip the scales in your favor.

"They can be anti-unit types, which are designed to take out individual strong enemies. They can be anti-army types, which are designed to take out groups of enemies all at the same time. They can be anti-fortress types, which are the most effective types of noble phantasms against castles and barricades. They pack a mean punch. There are even ant-divine and anti demonic noble phantasms, effective against godly and demonic beings respectively. Noble phantasms can even be more than one type to make them more versatile.

"Noble phantasms can be either active or passive. The active ones are unique because some of them can be very tricky and might even need conditions to be met, but they can be absolutely devastating regardless. Passive ones, on the other hand, are often life savers. They are the ones that usually don't require mana to use.

"The stronger ones require more mana, so keep them in mind. You can only have up to three noble phantasms."

Achille's eyes were wide with wonder and excitement. "_I can't wait to get my first noble phantasm! I can already imagine the kind of power I'd have with them. The sound so fun to use!" _

"But there's a catch," Akuro added. Achillea frowned, but she kind of expected this. "You have to work for your noble phantasms. Complete missions and defeat powerful enemies to obtain your noble phantasms. But they are often worth the risk."

Achillea smiled as she thought of what kind of power she could obtain from these noble phantasms, but then she shivered as she thought of what kind of danger she'd have to go through to get them.

"Then ther's the fame and location system. As you become stronger you can spread the fame of your legend, and the more popular it is the stronger you become. You also get stronger by being near the place that legend originated from."

Achillea thought about this. "_But I don't like being in the spotlight. I'm going to have a hard time making good use of the fame and location system." _

"So, do you have a better grasp of the game now?'

"Yes, I do. Thanks," Achillea replied. She was still a bit uneasy around this stranger, but at least she trusted him a bit more.

Akuro glanced down at the woman next to him. Now that he was standing next to her he could see that he was a few inches taller than she was. "Hey, I've been wanting to ask you something." She looked up at him, but still avoided his eyes. "Do you... want to form a party with me?"

Achillea grew stiff. "Why?"

Akuro could tell that he had made her uncomfortable. "Well, you're the only person I really know in this game. And you don't seem like you travel with others. I just thought that maybe we could team up for the time being. It doesn't have to be permanent."

Achillea considered his words. "_He does make a lot of sense." _She placed a hand on her chin_. "_I'll think about it." She suddenly seemed to remember something. She pulled up her menu by lifting two fingers and swiping them down in front of her. "Oh, sorry. That's going to have to wait. I should log off soon. My parents are going to worry about me."

She was going to log out but noticed something strange... or rather the lack of something. "Hey... where's the logout button?" Akuro seemed confused by her statement and looked at her menu. The logout button was indeed gone.

Then they were suddenly surrounded by a white flash. When their vision returned they were standing in front of a large palace in the starter area, surrounded by thousands of confused players.


	3. Chapter 3: Raisers of the North

**Fate: Rise of Legends chapter 3**

Raiders of the north

The black-haired young man with heterochromia stood on the bow of the Viking longship. His name was Gael and he was a lancer. His left eye was ocean blue and his right eye was emerald green. In his right hand he had a spear that was pointed on both ends and in the left he had a shield as wide as his arm was long. His armor was leather with fur covering it.

He held his shield in front of him and blocked the incoming arrows and javelins. A few mages fired spells at the hull of the ship, but the waves were making it difficult to aim. You would think the Vikings would try to sink the enemy ship, but they were after something on the ship. Something arguably far more valuable than the exp.

When the longship crashed with the British vessel he lept off it's bow and charged shield first into the melee. His fellow Vikings soon followed him when he scattered the enemy's archers by spearing one of them while airborne, landing on top of him and finishing him off with a second stab.

He bashed one enemy onto the floor of the ship before stabbing another one in the chest and using the spear to pull him to the side, leaving him to the rest of his crew. He then raised his shield in time to block a sword from an enemy saber. The saber was a woman with red hair in a long braid, covered in chain mail and armor plates. Reyes couldn't see her eyes under the helmet. She wielded a normal longsword.

She tried to swing at Reyes's side, but was stopped by the shield again. Reyes took this chance to stab her with the spear, but he didn't count on her grabbing the spear afterwards and pulling him in for a head but. The blow stunned him for a second, but that was all it took for her to pull her sword back and drive it into his gut.

Reyes's eyes widened in shock, but a hatchet flew through the air and buried itself in her side. The saber flinched and decided to fall back with the rest of her allies.

"Thanks," Reyes said to his fellow Viking. The other Viking nodded before pursuing the enemy saber, only to be stopped by a shield wall. "Wait, stop! We need to regroup!"

The other Vikings halted and glanced at him for a second, considering his words before halting their advance and waiting for an opening in the shield wall, but Gael knew that they weren't going to break through without a powerful caster or some kind of bombs. "_They'll turn us to mincemeat in a space like this. We'll get skewered on those spears and then they'll slowly force us off the ship." _At the moment the two sides were at a stalemate, and nobody wanted to make the first move.

That was when a man stepped up to the front of the Viking ranks. He was a lean man with short black hair and blue eyes. A shield and axe were on his back, and around his waist were throwing knives. His armor consisted of mostly furs, but there was visible chain mail beneath. The man was named xXPaganXx62 (We're online, you knew it was going to happen.) The man confidently strutted up to the British crew. The woman with red hair pushed past the shield wall and approached him.

The woman pointed her longsword at him. "Halt you filthy heretic," she shouted.

The Viking captain gave her an annoyed look. "Stop it with the fucking roleplay." The woman slowly lowered her sword and pouted. The captain saw her name, Tw1ghl1ght474, and chuckled. "Hehe. So Bella, where's all the goods?" The rest of the Vikings laughed alongside him.

The female knight glared at them. She then whipped her head around at the knights who laughed alongside him, silencing them in a heartbeat. She sighed and turned back to the Vikings that had boarded her ship. "We don't have anything worth raiding us for. You've wasted your time." The rest of her crew looked at her weirdly, but a few of them silenced their guildmates.

The vikings weren't buying it. "Shut up, we know you have a ton of food and ores from mainland europe," Pagan growled. The knight and her companions flinched. How did they know that?

Gael put a hand on his ally's shoulder. "Let me handle this," he whispered. "We probably won't win this fight. I'll take care of this and make them hand it over." Pagan looked at him for a second before nodding. Gael approached the Knights calmly and slowly, noting the golden cross symbol on one end of their health bars. "Lieutenant Twilight of the 'Golden cross,' a guild that is part of the 'Holy knights of Britannia' alliance. I think we can settle this without anyone else getting hurt, don't you think?"

A brown haired knight yelled, "You could have said that before you attacked us!" Other knights agreed with him, cursing the vikings.

"Why are you doing the talking for them anyway," Twilight teased. "You're not even part of their guild. What, do the Frost Wolves not have any backbone? Need an outsider to settle your problems for you?" Her taunts nearly worked. Several vikings with the wolf head symbol in the center and frost around the edges snarled and almost charged in. The other knights chuckling at them didn't help.

Gael kept his cool. "We had to make a point. You wouldn't have given it to us otherwise." The vikings agreed from behind him and the knights slowly quieted. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is you giving us seventy-five percent of your supplies and we let you go on your way. Now that we've shown our power you should know that we're not to be taken lightly." A few knights mumbled under their breath while a good amount of the vikings started complaining. They were silenced by Pagan. "We're actually being quite generous. Most other vikings would demand all of it."

"And what about the hard way," An archer in the rear shouted. As he did so he drew an arrow, setting the Vikings on edge. The knights responded in kind, closing their shield wall and raising their swords and spears.

"I was going to get to that." Gael knew that this was a risky move. "_Hopefully they don't call my bluff. If they do we're finished." _He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "The hard way is that we kill all of you and loot the ship and everything on your bodies. Or we could sink the whole thing and find another ship to raid. I'm sure some of my companions would love the second and third option. It's your choice."

The tension between the two parties was growing thicker and thicker. It was only a matter of seconds before someone initiated combat again. It all depended on the knight lieutenant and whether she thought she could win or not.

And the crews were engulfed in light.

As a massive berserker class viking, Nidhogg was usually avoided by the weaker players. But those that he did hang out with helped him control his anger. The mad enhancement ability was powerful, but it came at a cost. If you didn't control yourself you risked hurting your allies, and in some cases yourself. That's why he practiced with it whenever he could. The berserker class made him get angry easily, and the angrier he got the stronger he got. But with enough practice one could find the perfect balance between power and skill.

One of the bandits looked up at him. "What are you doing here? This is our turf! Get out!"

Nidhogg just laughed darkly. "_Poor bots. If only they knew just how strong I am." _He raised a shield on his left arm and readied an axe in his right. The action made all 5 of the bandits raise their response in response, a dane axe, a sword and shield, two shield and spear users and an archer. Nidhogg grinned madly and let out a war cry before lunging at them.

He blocked the archers arrow and dashed past the spear users, going straight for said archer. The axe wielder almost had him, but a parry and shove into the swordsman temporarily took care of them. His mad enhancement increased all of his physical stats, making him run faster than the spear users could keep up with.

He easily took the archer's head off with one swing. When he spun around the spear users were closing the distance, but that didn't stop him from using one of his skills. When he made eye contact a passive fear debuff stopped him in his tracks. The other, a woman, was parried and her shield knocked out of the way, leaving her open for a kick that sent her sprawling on the ground a few yards away. Nidhogg followed up by jumping into the air and cleaving her chest wide open. The heart was one of the most damaging spots in the game, along with the head. A mad enhancement boosted berserker could annihilate a low level bandit like this one without trouble.

But as he turned to face the other spear user he was slashed across the back by the swordsman. An axe cleaved into his shoulder, but was stopped partway by the shield. As he noticed this he was stabbed in the back by the spear user. He had gotten himself surrounded and was now paying the price for it.

That was when his rage truly took over. For a moment he let his berserker side take over. He let out a wild roar as he instantly overpowered the axeman, throwing his axe to the side with his shield and splitting his head open. He then chopped the swordsman's hands off before he could swing, followed by an upward swing to the chin. He then turned to the last bandit, the one with the spear and shield. His passive skill activated and his opponent began backing away, hesitating to attack him. Nidhogg unleashed a flurry of relentless attacks, butchering the poor sod and leaving him armless and full of gashes before shield bashing him onto the ground to finish him off.

As Nidhogg's mad enhancement faded he looked at the time on his menu screen. It was getting late, so he decided to head back to a nearby viking village. Norway was covered in a thin layer of snow at this time, so, it was a good thing he was currently covered in furs.

As he reached the gate the guards let him pass without trouble. He was registered in this village when he started the game in Norway. As he entered a few players took notice of his berserker tag and steered clear of him. He could hear whispers of "Look at his class," "He's a berserker," and "This guy is insane."

But as he entered a small wooden house a group of players greeted him with open arms. "Hey Nidhogg! How'd the hunt go?" A saber class viking with a bastard sword on his waist, (it was good quality, probably stolen during a raid) wrapped an arm around his shoulders and the two of them laughed.

"It was good Darksword. The poor bastards didn't stand a chance," Nidhogg replied.

An archer with a bow on her back said, "Oh yeah, then why is your health still regenerating?" She chuckled along with some of the other vikings.

Nidhogg shrugged. "I thought I'd at least give them a chance," he replied. He then joined his friends in a hearty laugh.

A lancer with a spear and shield suddenly spoke up. "Oh shit, I'm gonna be late for dinner! Let's hope my mom hasn't barged in yet."

"Yeah, we don't want her making you disconnect on the middle of the floor again," Another archer with javelins teased.

The lancer said his goodbyes but suddenly froze. "Uh, guys, where's the logout button?"

The other vikings looked at him weirdly before checking for the logout button themselves.

"What the hell?" "That's weird." "Guys, what's going on?" "We can't log out!" "What's going?"

Darksword started to speak up. "Alright everybody, this is probably a bug that will be fixed soon enough so don't panic! I'm sure people are already sending complaints and those of us that live with other people will be disconnected soon enough." The rest of the vikings began calming down somewhat.

Suddenly the lancer from early jumped in surprise. "What's that?" he pointed to read warning signs that had appeared in front of his face. Only a second later he began screaming and clutching his head in pain.

"What's wrong with him?!" "I don't know!" "Is it his nervegear?"

And he collapsed on the floor. "MY HEAD'S BURNING UP! MAKE IT STOP!" A sign suddenly appeared above his head saying that he disconnected. Someone had obviously pulled his nerve gear off, but the strange part was that it seemed to hurt him.

Nidhogg's jaw dropped, his mind trying to process what had just happened in front of him. "The pain nullification should have prevented him from feeling pain. How the hell is he in pain?

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" _Whiiiirrrrr…_

The Vikings were teleported into the center of the starting area, surrounded by thousands of confused and panicking players.


End file.
